Venezuela's army officer spied on Colombia

31.10.05 | The Venezuelan spy that Colombian authorities unmasked last May, played his role over the last five years and performed espionage activities in connection with Colombian military and civil personalities, including former President César Gaviria, local media reported, as quoted by DPA.
Carlos Hernández occupied, until last February, the position of International Affairs Attaché of the Venezuelan Consulate in Bucaramanga, and he sent reports to Caracas on smear campaigns against President Hugo Chávez.

The case was unveiled last August 14, when El Tiempo daily in Bogotá published a report disclosing the identity of the alleged spy, but in its latest edition weekly newspaper Cambio provided further details.

"Venezuelan colonel Carlos Hernández conducted, during five years, from Bucaramanga, a spying network that kept track of Colombian military officers, politicians and journalists," Cambio reported.

Colombian authorities uncovered Hernández when his personal computer failed and was repaired. The Colombian secret police DAS subsequently checked over his computer and examined the files he kept.

According to the report, Hernández masterminded a plan to access the Colombian Second Army Division headquarters in Bucaramanga, which was the largest military garrison in Colombian until two years ago.

Hernández also kept track of former minister Juan Manual Santos, one of the most staunch critics of President Hugo Chávez and former President César Gaviria.